Escalation
The supplement: how to ask for the money the estimate left out
A supplement is a written request asking the insurer to add specific line items that are missing from their estimate, supported by evidence. It is not a complaint or a negotiation, it is a list. Most underpaid claims that move, move here, because a first estimate is frequently short by omission rather than by a wrong total, and omissions are straightforward to evidence.
Why estimates come up short
Carriers estimate using software with priced line items updated quarterly by ZIP code. The pricing is usually reasonable. What goes wrong is the scope: which lines were entered at all. A slope not inspected is a slope not scoped, and a trade not counted is overhead and profit not allowed. This is why comparing totals is useless and comparing line lists is decisive.
The method
- Request the complete line-item estimate, all pages, including the depreciation schedule.
- Get one detailed itemised estimate from an established local contractor, in the same format if possible.
- Put them side by side and mark every line that appears in one and not the other.
- For each missing line, attach the evidence: a photograph number, a code reference, a manufacturer requirement.
- Send it as a list, not an argument.
The recurring omissions, in rough order of value
- Whole slopes or elevations left out of scope. Check against your photograph index slope by slope.
- Overhead and profit, ten percent each, where a general contractor is needed to coordinate three or more trades. On a $30,000 job that is $6,000. Roof plus gutters plus siding plus interior drywall is four trades.
- Code-required upgrades: decking, drip edge, ice and water shield, ventilation. Covered under ordinance and law if you carry it.
- Steep and high charges for pitch and height.
- Detach and reset of solar panels, satellite dishes, gutters, HVAC line sets.
- Underlayment, flashing, valley metal, ridge and starter, frequently under-counted.
- Disposal, dumpster and permits.
- Interior repairs where water entered. Paint is rarely one wall.
- Depreciation applied to labour, which is contested in several states since labour does not wear out.
Ask for the refusal in writing citing the specific policy provision. Then a reinspection by a different adjuster with your contractor present. Then a complaint to your state insurance department. Then, if the dispute is genuinely about amount rather than coverage, the appraisal clause. In that order.
Questions
What is an insurance claim supplement?
A supplement is a request to the insurer to revise their estimate by adding line items that were missing, or to cover additional damage discovered after the original estimate, for example conditions found once a roof was opened up. It is submitted in writing with supporting evidence such as photographs, a contractor's itemised estimate, or code requirements.
How do I write a supplement request?
List each missing item separately with a short description, the evidence supporting it, and an estimated cost, then attach the evidence. Keep the tone factual rather than argumentative, because the file may later be read by a supervisor, a regulator or an umpire. Ask for confirmation that each item will be added, and ask that any refusal state the specific policy provision relied on.
What items are most commonly missing from a roof estimate?
Whole slopes left out of the scope, general contractor overhead and profit where three or more trades are involved, code-required upgrades such as decking, drip edge and ice and water shield, steep and high charges, detach and reset of solar panels or satellite dishes, underlayment, flashing and valley metal, disposal and permits, and interior repairs where water entered.
Is there a deadline for filing a supplement?
Supplements are generally available while the claim remains open, and additional damage discovered during the work is a normal reason for one. What is not open-ended is the suit limitation period in your policy, commonly one to two years from the date of loss, which limits how long you can pursue the claim at all. Do not let a supplement conversation drift past it.